Loves Only You Gets Up for Japanese Oaks Score

If the question in the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks, G1) May 19 at Tokyo Racecourse was who will take up the mantle of last year's winner, Almond Eye, the emphatic answer was: Loves Only You.

The Deep Impact filly came to the race undefeated in three starts despite a training setback that disrupted her schedule.

With Mirco Demuro up, she remained well back in the 18-filly field at the top of the long stretch, and with 200 meters to go, she still had a half dozen rivals in front of her. But she was under a full head of steam, ranged up outside extreme longshot Curren Bouquetd'or with 50 meters left, and got a neck in front for the victory.

Those two were followed by Chrono Genesis, Victoria, and last year's 2-year-old filly champion, Danon Fantasy.

The final time for 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles) was 2:22.8, lowering the stakes record set by Gentildonna in 2012 by four-fifths of a second.

Loves Only You also has the pedigree for stardom. Bred by Northern Farm and owned by DMM Dream Club, the full sister to Real Steel, winner of the 2016 Dubai Turf Sponsored By DP World (G1), is out of the Storm Cat mare Loves Only Me. 

Loves Only You won both of her starts as a 2-year-old, but a minor leg issue forced the Yoshito Yahagi trainee to miss the Oka Sho (Japanese One Thousand Guineas, G1), the first leg of Japan's Triple Tiara for fillies. Instead, she easily posted her third straight win in the April 7 Wasurenagusa Sho at Hanshin.

Demuro said that race, despite the lower level of competition, wasn't a cakewalk for his filly and set her up for the top-level effort.

"She got bumped a bit at the break (at Hanshin) and got upset and clamped down on the bit until the first turn," he said. "But she's a very clever horse and calmed right down. … She's like her brother, Real Steel, with the same nice, soft back." 

Demuro scored his 30th group 1 win in Japan, taking the Yushun Himba for the first time. He became the 10th jockey to ride the winner in all five Japanese classics.

"I was a bit worried at the final corner since we were in a lower position than planned," Demuro said. "But she showed an incredible burst of speed and stretched beautifully. She has a heart of steel and can't stand to lose.

"I'm just thrilled that I've now won all five classics."

Curren Bouquetd'or, dispatched at odds of 94-1, took the lead midstretch after tracking the pace and held gamely when the winner arrived late. Chrono Genesis, also third in the Oka Sho, was 2 1/2 lengths back of Curren Bouquetd'or at the finish.

Oka Sho winner Gran Alegria did not run in the Yushun Himba. The runner-up in the Oka Sho, Shigeru Pink Dia, finished 12th.

A crowd of 61,596 turned out in good weather to see the race.